AMD Ships New Chips

AMD has upped the ante today in the low end processor space. Advanced Micro Devices Corp. began shipping its new Duron processor, intended to compete with Intel Corp.’s Celeron offerings.

The Duron is based on the same processor core as AMD’s (www.amd.com) high end Athlon. The main difference between the current crop of Athlons and the Duron is in the amount of Level 2 (L2) cache. The latest Athlons boast 256KB of on chip L2 cache, while 128KB of L2 cache, reducing cost and performance, yet leaving it more than capable for most business applications.

The Duron uses AMD’s new Socket A physical design, and sports a 200MHz front side bus. The initial run of Durons will run at 600MHz, 650MHz, and 700MHz.

AMD plans to market the Duron to approximately the same market as the Celeron. They believe it offers value for business desktops and consumer home machines. - Christopher McConnell